Remy LeBeau/sheet
Skills Linguistics: Gambit is fluent in English, French, Russian and Japanese, and speaks passable German and Spanish. Social Lubrication Remy schmoozes. He says the right thing at the right time and he gets his way. He charms and leaves women breathless and wondering what happened to their fancy emerald pendant. Even when he's clearly guilty and clearly in trouble, Remy can tend to fast-talk his way out of it, or sweet-talk someone--usually a pretty woman--into covering for his butt. Of course, there are plenty of people out there who don't have any tolerance for Remy constantly running his mouth to try and eel his way out of sticky situations, but usually...usually he gets his way. Gambling: Remy is well-versed on most gambling games that might be found in a casino, and has excellent instincts when it comes to less traditional gambles, too. He's a consummate card shark and has fantastic insight into the odds--or maybe just really good luck. In any case, Remy gambles quite often, largely for the thrill of it, and most always comes out on top. Even sometimes without cheating. Electronics and Tinkering: Gambit is certainly no Kitty Pryde, but he knows his way around a computer. He especially knows how to worm his way in where he doesn't belong--of course he does--and is best at bypassing computerized security systems. He's also adept at tinkering together little gadgets that help in him in his pursuit of bypassing said systems... but he is indifferent, at best, outside his specialized niche. Perhaps other uses for these skills simply don't interest him. Disguise: Gambit is pretty good at disguising himself, which is just as well given how stand-out his face (and eyes) are otherwise. Usually aided by full sclera contacts, Remy usually does well enough to slip past people who are casual acquaintances, but rarely does well enough to slip past good friends or long-term teammates. He cannot alter his true scent, only mask it with other odors, and he doesn't change his voice's natural tone or timber. He is, on the other hand, VERY good at mimicking other accents, and can drop his natural Cajun accent to adopt any other one as easily as breathing. Sort of makes a body wonder why he bothers with that thick patois if he doesn't have to. Driving and Piloting: He can drive a car. He can even drive a car under high-stress situations. He's much better with a motorcycle, however, and prefers to ride those given any choice in the matter--he's capable of some pretty slick stunts with them, too. He can also drive boats but...that tends to end in crashing if he has to try any maneuvering at all. Also, the X-Men taught him to fly the Blackbird, naturally. This skill extends to most modern aircraft. He's not great, but he keeps it in the sky and gets it down in one piece. Most of the time. Cooking: One of the few skills he was taught as a child and teenager that didn't have some kind of practical application for thievery. Remy really enjoys cooking. It is his one concession to the creative arts. He can manage almost anything, but of course his real passion is in cooking Cajun food. He often tries to win back the hearts of jilted teammates by cooking a lot of food... but he's equally reluctant to admit to it being his most cherished hobby. He pretends its the comradery of everyone eating his food that he loves (and he does!) rather than the actual art itself. Advanced Hand-to-Hand Combat: Gambit has spent his whole life fighting. He's a very good brawler, exceptional with hand-to-hand combat...but he prefers to keep some distance on his opponent. Remy almost always fights with an extendable bo-staff made of adamantium. He's very good with the staff, capable of moving it fast enough to deflect projectiles as well as making deadly, lighting-fast attacks with it. Remy's also been trained to fence with a sword but this is a skill he uses so rarely it's gotten quite rusty. Remy's main mode of attack since he's gained his mutation. Although he usually uses playing cards, he could really throw anything, regardless of whether or not it's been charged--although charging an object does make it fly better. He has impeccable aim with whatever weapon he's decided to throw, to the point that he's capable of doing precision demolitions work from afar with his mutation just by throwing things to the right place. Theiving, B&E, and Lockpicking: Remy LeBeau is one of the world's premiere thieves. He may very well be the best, but it's kind of hard to tell--it isn't like there's SAT tests for this kind of thing. In any case, he's got an incredible talent for it, and it takes a special person indeed to even know Remy's been by. His ability to steal things covers a lot of skills, but this one mostly touches on his ability to get into a location and back out again with the target of his attentions. Remy is an unsurpassed lockpicker; he can get through any physical lock with little more than a piece of metal, and is capable of picking most locks from almost any angle or--on occasion--with his feet. He's also very adept with bypassing more complex or modern locking mechanisms, possessing a host of little gadgets that allow him to do anything from looping security camera feeds to mimicing fingerprints or retinal patterns. As a side-effect of this skill, it is almost impossible to keep Remy restrained for any length of time if he's conscious. Even without his mutation's help, he can get out of damn near any restraints he's been put in, short of some kind of full-body device. If it can be stolen or broken into, rest assured Remy can do it. He's got an incredibly light touch and is an accomplished pick-pocketer, able to lift almost anything off of someone without much trouble. Sleight of Hand: This goes with the thieving. Gambit is very good at card tricks, or making it seem like he's done one thing when he's done another entirely. It isn't so much that he won't let the right hand see what the left hand is doing, it's that he's a master of tricking the right hand into thinking the left hand isn't doing what it's doing. Generally speaking, if an object is smaller than his forearm, Remy can spirit it away so that no one is ever going to find it. He's actually been known to pass pat-down searches in such a manner, allowing him to take his staff (in its collapsed form) into places where he nominally wouldn't be allowed a weapon. Most often he uses this trick to get cards or cigarettes into his hands quickly. Stealth: Remy has been skulking around in one form or another since he was a boy. His main occupation in life requires him to know how and went to be silent and unseen, which means Gambit has gotten very good at it. He can't teleport, obviously, but he knows how to move without a sound and how to pick shadows to his best advantage, even overcoming the fact that his eyes tend to shed light. While he isn't good enough to steatlh in a place with no shadows or corners to hide in, the fact remains that if Remy is in a place that does have these things--which is almost anywhere--he's damn hard to find with sight or sound if he doesn't want to be. That doesn't, of course, preclude him being found by things like scent, or the heat of his body. Acrobatics: Greatly enhanced by his physical mutation, Remy is incredibly nimble. He'd never make it as a contortionist but he's agile enough to manage most gymnastic feats with ease; he quite often intersperses his combat with tumbles and backhandsprings. He's also very good at what one might call parkour or free-running, having spent his childhood on the streets. His reflexes are supernaturally fast, allowing him to feel comfortable in jumping off a building several stories tall and using outcroppings and ledges to slow his descent enough to keep himself from breaking anything. He also twists in unnatural ways; generally if Gambit can get his head and shoulders through a space, he can get the rest of himself through too, meaning he can navigate tunnels and ductwork that other men his size would have no hope of getting through. He has, on occasion, with enough warning and space between himself and his shooter, been known to dodge bullets--but mostly Remy gets shot when there's guns involved. Spatial Awareness: A result of thief training. He's by no means perfect at it, but Remy has a decent handle on being able to memorize a space and then navigate it in relative--or actual--darkness. He'd make a rotten thief if he didn't know how to do this, after all, always bumbling into things. As a result, he also tends to be very thoroughly observant when casing a joint, trying to make a complete map in his head. In that mindset he will notice things others don't...but he can just as easily miss them when not thinking in that manner. Deception: His smile comes readily but half of the time it's a mask. Maybe more than half the time, it's hard to say. He's been a thief and a con-man if not from birth than at least from as long as he can remember. Remy is a natural charmer. He finds it easy to find the right words to say most of the time; he's very good at talking people into doing things his way, and very fond of talking. He's the kind of person who talks to himself just to hear the sound of someone's voice, the kind of man who always has some kind of snarky witticism ready for any occasion, be it in the middle of combat or not. He's a pretty good storyteller and has a lackadaisical way of coming across, as if everything's one great big joke, some grand adventure, and he can't be bothered to take any of it seriously. Maybe that's a bit of the something hiding behind his snakecharmer's smile. He isn't always laughing with you, sometimes, too frequently, Gambit is laughing at you. Leadership by Manipulation: Although not a natural leader like other people on his team, Remy is a capable leader and can exhibit plenty of authority when it suits him. He's not anything like Logan or Scott Summers, so he's much more likely to try and manipulate people into doing what he wants, not above wheedling or the appearance of it to get his way. Powers and Abilities Energy Manipulation: Aside from his eyes, this is Remy's most obvious mutation. Remy possess inside of himself a reservoir of bio-kinetic energy which he can use to start a chain reaction in any inanimate object which causes the potential energy in the object to convert to kinetic energy. In practical terms, this means that the object begins to glow a magenta color and becomes highly volatile. Any impact on the object will cause it to explode violently; a fully-charged item packs the same amount of punch as a similar mass of C4 would, although materials /like/ C4 which are naturally explosive are exponentially more so when charged. Remy can, however, control how much of a charge he puts into any object and has an instinctive understanding of how large an explosion any given charge will produce, allowing him to charge items to only stun or explode into light and smoke rather than do damage. An item with a charge on it flies differently than an item without, and generally as if it has far more mass than it actually has. Remy can maintain a charge indefinitely as long as he is in contact with an object, and can in fact cancel a charge, drawing the seed energy back into his body, if he is still touching the object. Once the object is out of his grasp, however, it is going to explode--if it's thrown or jostled, it will explode at the moment of impact, otherwise if the charge has been laid as a 'sleeper bomb' it will explode a few minutes after Gambit releases the object from physical contact. Although Gambit's upper limits have never been truly pushed it does take him time and concentration to charge large objects, and he's never managed anything larger than a truck. Remy is not immune to the explosions that his mutations cause and thus tries not to charge very large objects given the immensity of the explosion they would produce means it would be almost impossible for him to get out of the way. Hyperdexterity: Remy's body is constructed differently than a normal human's; almost every joint in his body, excepting the static joints in his skull, operate as if they were ball-and-joint sockets rather than any other kind of joint, allowing him to twist and distort his body into any number of otherwise uncomfortable-looking positions. He can crawl through spaces most men his size couldn't think of going through if his head and one shoulder can fit--although it's not comfortable for him by any means--and his reflexes are also enhanced. Gambit is preternaturally quick and agile, able to dodge attacks he shouldn't and even able on rare occasion to deflect, dodge, or even catch and return projectiles coming in his direction. He finds acrobatics as natural as breathing and can twist his body in such a way that gymnastic feats are easy, especially if he's using them to traverse terrain. Like a cat, he's capable of changing his orientation mid-fall, although that doesn't always mean he can make the fall hurt less. For whatever reason, Gambit's physical mutation also causes his eyes to take on the appearance that they do, red-iris-on-black-sclera. Hypnotic Charm: Part of the reason Remy comes across as a bit smarmy is that he has a low-level, constantly-active hypnotic charm which kind-of forces people to like him. Far more powerful when the target of this effect can hear Remy or see his eyes, it infuses the people around Gambit with a false sense of confidence in him and his plans. Those subject to this charm power may find themselves agreeing to Remy's madcap plans even when they don't make a whole lot of sense. The more desperate Remy is to have his way, the more powerful this hypnotic effect is, although it's never terribly strong; strong-willed persons will find it as easy to deny Remy as anyone else. In addition, if a person is actively aware of this particular aspect of Gambit's powers, it does not work on them in the least. Telepathic Static'': Gambit's internal reserve of bio-kinetic energy tends to make life a bit miserable for telepaths. In his natural state, Remy comes across to most telepaths as a fuzz of static, difficult to hear through the ambient psionic noise of his mutation. Even his Astral form is effected, having a tendency to skip and hiccup like a badly-tuned television. Telepaths with a power level akin to Professor Xavier's (or higher) can get through the static to Remy's mind, but it is generally a difficult, painful endeavour for both Gambit and the telepath, and even once the telepath has gotten to Remy's thoughts they may find them--as Xavier did--'slippery like an oiled eel' and difficult to keep a grip on long enough to examine. Remy's protective static-shielding isn't perfect, however; when he's agitated or emotionally compromised the shielding becomes less effecient, being less and less effective the more upset Remy is. He is also capable of voluntarily clearing the static to allow for telepathic communication with his teammates, but he can't pick and choose. If he's \taken the shields down\ for one telepath, they can all get in. This ability vastly decreases the effect of any psionic power on him, although those with materialized effects, like Psylocke's psi-blades or telekinesis, still do their job. However, psionic empaths find Remy as hard to get a bead on as telepaths do, though those with empathy or domination based on things other than psionics, like pheromones, have no trouble getting their powers to work on Remy. Specials '''Raw Talent: Agility: Resources, Gear, and Paraphernalia Thieves Guild: They raised Gambit, and although many of his ties to them have been severed at this point, they're still down there in New Orleans and in the end, they're still Remy's family. If it really came down to it, Remy could probably call on the Guild for aid...for a price. New Orleans Apartment: Although he's technically exiled from New Orleans by decree of the Assassins' Guild, Remy still keeps an apartment in New Orleans, and regularly pays the rent. You never do know. It's not a large apartment, but it suffices. X-Men and X-Sphere: As a member of the X-Men, Gambit has access to the team resources. He lives in the Mansion and is thusly fed and clothed off of that stipend, and can generally call on the X-Men when he needs aid...even if he doesn't. He is also employed at Xavier's Institute and officially part of the staff there. Costume: The uniform Remy wears was a gift from the Thieves' Guild. The breastplate part of the uniform is bulletproof and was specially designed for Remy's physiology and moves in the unique way that he moves. Retractable Bo: Gambit carries with him a retractable bo-staff that is made from hollowed adamantium. It can be approximately one foot, three feet or six feet in length, and is one of the only things on the planet that transfers the energy of a charge rather than is destroyed by it. Like his armor, it was a gift from the Thieves' Guild. Motorcycle: Remy has a motorcycle. He tinkers with it from time to time but he's not a great mechanic. Mostly, it gets him from point A to point B in style. Thieves Tools: Remy's set of thieves' tools is one of the most advanced in the world. It goes from simple lockpicks to complex devices that allow him to mimic fingerprints and retinal scans, and everything in between. Flaws and Drawbacks Out of Control Power: Remy doesn't have access to all of his power's potential right now. He doesn't even have access to half of it. A result of the surgery he had Mr. Sinister do on his brain at a young age, Gambit's power has a manually-implanted cap on it which prevents him from accessing the more destructive--and honestly, more ridiculous--parts of his mutation. No amount of training or pushing on Remy's part will allow him to access this lost power, although he surely knows it is there even if he doesn't know its depths. The only thing that will allow him access to that full template is a reversal of the surgery, either by having Sinister replant the brain tissue or by having it regenerated in another fashion. Of course, all of Remy's hard-won control is based on his power set being what it is currently, so should that ever happen--he'd easily be an Omega-level mutant with virtually no control over his mutation. This is something that Gambit keeps close to his chest, worried what might happen if someone intentionally boosts his power to that level, but anyone who can sense injuries in a person might note the knot of scarring at the base of Remy's brain. Angry Wit: He's not always the nicest of people, and unfortunately knowing the right thing to say in almost any situation also means he knows the wrong thing to say; he's pretty good at offering forth whatever combination of words is needed to most upset the person he's talking to, even if he doesn't mean them. He has a temper and it manifests first and foremost with nasty, acerbic snark and wit. This is not at all the joking, rambling personality that he exhibits when he's in a good mood; this is an aspect of his personality that cuts to see something bleed, even if metaphorically. When he's angry, he absolutely says things with the sole intention of hurting others with his words, a method of lashing out he's developed in an attempt to deal with the pain and anger he's undoubtedly feeling at the time. Distrustful: Gambit doesn't trust anyone. Gambit doesn't even trust /himself/. He is quick to assume to eworst, most base of motives in anyone he meets, and hard to persuade that anyone has lofty motives. He believes everyone has an inner devil and that everyone falls to them quite easily, and thus he believes that if he isn't looking out for himself, no one is. He has serious trust issues and doesn't even particularly want to work them out, possibly because he doesn't want to look too hard at the fact that he's frequently betrayed is that he hangs out with inherently untrustworthy people, and rarely /gives/ anyone a reason to be loyal or to trust /him/. Untrusted: Remy has a lot of secrets. Remy keeps a lot of secrets. Remy does not give up his secrets. Even when it comes down to the wire, even when it could be a lot easier for everyone involved--including Remy--for him to tell his secrets, Remy doesn't tell his secrets. This gets him in trouble a lot. This is also possibly why people have a hard time trusting Gambit. Nicotine Addiction: Smoking. It's a nasty habit. It's an addiction. It plagues him, and it also hasn't been really good for his lungs, which are more sensitive to aerial irritants than normal. Thrill-Seeker: This is related to his Martyr Complex. Remy loves thrills. He loves the thrills of daring chases, difficult acrobatic stunts, trick riding on his motorcycle...and of course, thievery. Part of the reason he's stuck around with the X-Men is that he finds the job exciting, the combat and the heroics as heart-pumping as any theft could be. In the days of quietude, however, where Gambit's expected to lay low and play teacher to the next generation of mutants...he gets itchy. And when he gets itchy, he again starts to make stupid choices. King of Bad Decisions: He tries to be good, he really really does. It isn't even that he's weak-willed. He's just easily tempted. Gambit is a man who enjoys his creature comforts, and he often-times times it hard to argue himself out of doing things the hard way. Used to a certain kind of lifestyle, he tends to get bored or restless if he's stayed in one place for two long, which is about the time he starts to do stupid things--like decide to go on a high-stakes theft just for the giggles of it. He almost always regrets it, frequently immediately as he tends to get in way, way over his head, but he just keeps doing it. Hurrah for bad habits. Since Remy thinks he doesn't deserve nice things, he tends to have a shadow of an idea that he needs to go out in a blaze of glory, having done the ultimate good deed, in order to counterbalance his questionable past. If he's feeling especially self-depricating he will practically do the bad guys' jobs for them, setting himself up to get so in over his head that he can't get out. Of course, he always manages to anyways, as his survival instinct tends to kick in at the last instant, but Remy can get himself into a hell of a lot of trouble based soley on the idea that he deserves to be so abused. He's done some questionable things in his time. More pertinently, he's associated with plenty of questionable people, who could at any point pop back up and spread his secrets around, or even just ask him to do more questionable things. Not good for a man's reputation at the very least. Enemies: Oh, chere, he has a lot of them. Ranging from his old allies in his old stomping ground of New Orleans in the Thieves Guild, tot eh Assassins Guild (apparently running out on their princess doesn't do a man no good no how), and speaking of her, Belladonna, then there's any number of villains he's crossed paths with over the years, and especially Mr. Sinister... Well, Remy's got a mess of people want him dead. Or at least bleeding. Relationships Scott Summers Jean Grey Anna Marie Darkholme Charles Xavier Belladonna Boudreaux Nathaniel Essex Characters with Rels Set Roberto Da Costa: Best. Role Model. Ever. Staff Notes Category:Earth-24800 Sheets Category:Sheets